Rival Abel & Cole's turnover rose 32 per cent to £46.5m this year.

Rival Abel & Cole's turnover rose 32 per cent to £46.5m this year.

It has been reported that Tesco will launch its own organic vegetable box service exclusively for the London area.

Soil & Seed, a brand owned by organic vegetable supplier Tio, is expected to soft launch in November with all produce certified by the Soil Association.

Following in the footsteps of Abel & Cole, Tesco will offer shoppers the choice of vegetable, salad and fruit boxes.

Delivery will utilise the retailer's online delivery system and allow customers to pick a time slot, seven days a week, for a standard charge between £3 to £6.

In comparison, rival Abel & Cole, recently acquired by the William Jackson group, doesn't deliver on weekends and delivery time is subject to customer location.

Tesco's decision to target the London area may prove to be a sensible one with Adam Wakeley, MD at Organic Farm Foods, full of praise for the capital.

'London consistently rates as one of the best regions for organic sales which is probably why veg box schemes do so well there,' he concluded.

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